The Misadventures of V
by SJRivera
Summary: Vira had an accident. Hey, it happens. Too bad now she has no family, no friends, and now she has a few, ah... blemishes. Her life sucks. However, nothing, absolutely NOTHING, compares to her biggest problem. Begins in Batman, predominately Teen Titans. Villains from both
1. Chapter 1: I'm Always Late

**Esme. I am really, **_**really **_**sorry about this. Those of you who are reading this, I apologize to you too. This fanfic is something I started writing in sixth grade, and it **_**butchered **_**my favorite television show. I admit it, I was **_**awful… **_**But yet, I'm gonna try again…. Wish me luck.**

Why Am I Always Late?

She missed her alarm clock blaring, the telephone was screaming at her and she had left the television on the _military _channel. Groggily, she opened her eyes, reluctantly leaving her warm blankets. No coffee… no hot shower…. She sighed, letting the freezing, metallic-smelling water of her apartment wash over her sudsy hair. Some day this was. It was June 1st; she was graduating today, the one in the back people failed to notice. She hated this city, everything about it. She stepped out of the shower, wrapping a moth-eaten towel around herself. She felt slimy, and missed Texas; there, she used hard-water and didn't feel gross and greasy _after_ a shower.

She pulled on a pair of jeans, a black tank top and a ratty denim vest. Some graduation outfit. The mirror that stood in the corner was cracked and spotted, but it nonetheless served its purpose. She paused for a moment, taking in her reflection. She hadn't been… _quite_ the same since the accident. The tips of her hair were deep ebony, the rest a calm caramel. She ran a brush through her hair, then pulled it into a high ponytail—all but two thick locks on either side of her head, these were braided and looped up, secured with pins where her ponytail began. Why? To take attention away from her other features: the thick eyebrows, the slightly upturned nose… and the fact that the accident had also left her with some less-than-desirable scars and… extras. Sighing, she pulled on her lucky camouflage hat, muffling her–what were they again? Oh, yes–_cat ears_ and tucked her_ tail _into the back of her pants. Her electric blue eyes were now the only things she couldn't hide, but they didn't matter, not really.

"Yes," she whispered, voice coming out in a low purr. "I can definitely pass for average."


	2. Chapter 2: Graduation?

**Dear readers; if you are reading this, you clearly haven't gotten tired of disclaimers. Shame on you! Go read! Now then, my stupid list of them. Obviously, Gotham and the people in it were not made up by me. Neither was anyone else from the DC universe. Happy?**

Graduation

The alarm clock buzzed at her again, and she looked at it, swearing. She was late. Again. Pulling on a pair of black combat boots, she ran outside, and got onto her bike. She clicked it on, its motor roaring to life. She kicked off, and began the ride to her school.

Now that your attention is held for a few moments, I'll give you a glimpse into her past. The first thing, her name is Pennovira. _Call _her that and she'll hurt you. Her friends call her Vira… at least they would if she had anyfriends. She lives in Gotham City, in one of the scummier apartment buildings in the town. Her life had been majorly uprooted; she had been forced to move here from Houston, Texas, after a laboratory accident involving genetic experimentation and a doctor named E. Nigma. More on that will come later. Vira faced major financial issues, and when rent became too much, she lived in the remains of the 'Underground Highway,' the place the homeless—and Killer Croc—tended to live.

Vira continued throughout the city, wary of the people on the streets. She trusted no one; no one gave her reason to. She reached the football stadium her graduation was to take place, and pulled the graduation gown over her head. The last of the valedictorian speech was being said, and she snuck into line, unnoticed.

* * *

Bruce Wayne was sponsoring a school graduation. They needed it, too. He sighed and sat back in his chair. First the graduation, then his speech, then he could go to another charity event Alfred had scheduled attendance for today. The graduating class of South Gotham High was in need of a proper education; how did Gordon send Barbara here? Someone, a girl by the look of her, was sideling onto the stage, unnoticed. She looked tired, just as the other students, but her fatigue looked… different from the others'. She was average weight, muscular, and didn't look, well, _pregnant, _like some of the others in her class. The roll was called, and one by one, the students filed onto stage, got their diplomas and left for the seats in the stadium.

Wayne watched as the students' received their diplomas, the late girl walked forward as the principal called out "Vira Cents."

As the brown-haired girl reached for the rolled-up piece of paper, the lights above them exploded in a shower of sparks. They were plunged into darkness, all dark but a glowing question mark painted onto the ground. Wayne's eyes narrowed. "Nigma."

Within seconds, both Barbara Gordon (graduating) and Bruce Wayne had vanished, and a man somehow wound up on the stage, a spotlight trained on him.

* * *

Vira glared when the lights went out. She could see everything, one of the only perks of the accident. She saw him, Nigma; appear on the stage, and motion for a light to make him visible. He was tall enough, and dressed in a green–yes, green–suit and purple shirt under it. A green bowler hat covered his wavy brown hair a black band around the brim. A single, darker green question mark was pinned to the front of the hat. He leaned casually against a tall walking stick topped with a golden question mark. Vira knew this man well. His name was Edward Nigma; though to those without the pleasure of working as a lab assistant with him or one of his fellow villains, he was called the Riddler. He had a very annoying reason for that, too.

"_I turn kingdoms to dust, I make strong men crumble, I take away those you love, and I break the greatest of minds. All without lifting a finger. Who am I?" _Vira felt the thin layer of flesh colored fur covering her body bristle, and she clenched her hands into fists to keep her claws sheathed. A growl rose in the back of her throat, and she could feel her tail twitching angrily in its hiding place. Nigma waited a few moments before speaking again. "What? Don't tell me you don't know. I'm _sure _at least one of your students knows the answer…" He turned, as if sensing Vira behind him. "What about you, Penny?"

Vira snapped, launching herself at the villain. She didn't care that this was Gotham, didn't care that this city _had _a hero to do its dirty work. All she cared about was that Nigma was inches from her, and that she wanted to hurt him as much as humanely possible. She tackled him to the ground. "Listen here, _Nigma; _my name is not _Penny! _And as for your _riddle… _yours is up." Her nails elongated into the titanium-like claws she had acquired from the accident. They raked across his face, giving him a long gash on his cheek. He grinned, which only made Vira angry.

"Congratulations, Vira, you're starting to understand. But only just. Remember that experiment? It is far from being a failure."

Vira's claws went instinctively to his throat before something grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. She was pulled off him by a very strong person. "Bad kitty." She realized, too late, that her graduation cap had been knocked off, and she had managed to get the braids that aided in hiding her ears unpinned. She glanced up, looking into the hooded face of…

"Well, well, well, look who just got to the party~"

"Don't start with me, woman."

"Start what? Who's starting?"

Batman made a growling noise and hoisted her into the air, setting her down next to Batgirl. He turned his attention to Nigma. "Why target a high schooler?"


	3. Chapter 3: The Accident

The Accident

Vira stared at the remains of the poor… _thing_that was lying on the table. She looked at her boss, disgusted by what he had done. Grimacing, she jotted notes on the reactions it was having to the drugs in her notebook and suppressed a shudder. She hated this job, but it was the only thing that could pay her way into college. Her parents were gone; it was up to her to take care of herself.

Deep down, she knew that what they were doing was illegal, and that if they were caught she could kiss college-and perhaps even graduating from high school-goodbye, but nonetheless, it paid the bills on the table, and let her occasionally catch a movie with her friends. Besides her job, her life was pretty average for a Houstonian. She went to 'one of the best schools in the nation' and, naturally, hated it, had a best friend she occasionally had to live with, and dreamed of something better.

Sadly, Vira had overlooked something. She knew _how_to get a happy ending; she just forgot that to get one, things had to get worse before they got better.

_If_they got better.

The poor animal that lay half-dead on the table had once been a cat. A pretty tabby she'd dubbed 'Minerva'. Her boss spat instructions at her, and she obeyed them, injecting the cat with different chemicals. Each time, she would gently pet the cat's head, whispering soothingly. To her knowledge, the cat liked her. Well, she liked her much more than she'd liked Vira's boss. One last injection went into the cat before she lost the battle with whatever it was they were doing to her. Vira stopped; taking the syringe out of the creature, she began to clean up, but her boss stopped her.

He looked excited, and this worried the fifteen-year-old. "Pick it up," He said, gesturing to the cat's corpse. Warily, she did so, holding the cat gingerly. Taking the last syringe, her boss-a brown haired man by the name of Edward Nigma-approached the cat and injected the fluid into her forehead.

The feline's eyes opened slowly, and Vira stared at it, terrified. She looked up Nigma, fear creeping into her eyes, but a cruel grin spread across his face. Vira set the un-dead cat onto the table, knocking over a beaker filled with light orange fluid in the process. She knelt, picking up the shards of glass, and cut her finger on one of them.

She disregarded this, and continued cleaning up the spilled liquid and glass. Nigma paid her no attention, he set about to get the cat ready for dissection. The cat meowed, as if confused, and something clicked in Vira's mind. Nigma, for some reason, was testing the prospect of cats having nine lives. She looked up at him slowly, and was suddenly very scared. She threw away the remains of the mess and looked to her boss again. To her surprise, he was staring at her with a thoughtful expression.

"What happened to your finger?"

Vira looked down at a long, deep cut. She blinked, confused. She couldn't feel it, though she should be in a large amount of pain. She blinked, and walked toward the table, wrapping her finger in a paper napkin. "Nothing."

Nigma nodded, and handed her a pair of gloves, a mask, and a scalpel. The dissection was quick, and the cat, while asleep, remained alive. As Vira was stitching the cat back up, something happened. Something clicked. And that something exploded, sending the teenager flying backwards.

Vira awoke in the hospital, her best friend Claire sitting at the foot of her bed. She sighed, and tried to sit up. She had a massive headache, and she was sore all over. There was a doctor staring at her, jotting things down in his notebook. Vira watched him silently, trying to figure out what was going on. "What-?"

Claire shushed her. "Try not to say anything stupid."

A man dressed in a black suit entered and ushered Claire and the doctor out.

"Your name is Pennovira?"

"Just Vira, actually."

"Well, Ms. Vira, I am here about your job."

_Uh-oh. _"What about it?"

"You _are _aware that what you were doing was dangerous and illegal, correct?"

"I actually didn't know _what _we were doing, sir."

He frowned at her. "I can see that."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't looked into a mirror lately have you?"

"Huh?"


	4. Chapter 4: What!

I Gotta Go _Where?!_

Batman glared at the senior through his mask. The Riddler had been taken to Arkham and now this girl was next on his agenda. Was she a threat? Possibly one of Kyle's spies? She certainly looked the part, what with dark denim and black the only colors she wore. She was humming _God Save the Queen _softly, making a cat's cradle with a piece of string she had had in her pocket. She certainly could be a patient at the Asylum, but he wasn't so sure he needed another enemy. Besides, she was young. She could still be made an ally. And she had potential. Even asa sidekick to Kyle she would be better than a patient who hated the Bat. He cleared his throat

"Yes?" She asked, looking up, dropping the shape from the string.

"Who exactly are you, cat-girl?"

"Well, my name isn't 'Cat-Girl'… sir_. _I'm Vira."

"You didn't answer my question."

"My name is Vira. I'm from Texas. And I got my DNA infused with a cat's. Anything else you want to know?"

"How?"

"I don't know. Ask Doctor Ni-"

"So you have no idea what happened?"

"No, sir."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Sir?"

"Why are you calling me 'sir'?"

"Oh… right… My Mother told me to call adults Sir, Ma'am or Miss, but I guess not very many people up here are used to it. If you don't want me to call you sir, I'll stop."

"You…are being too polite."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

The super grunted, frowning at her. "Very well," he said calmly. "I expect to see you in Commissioner Gordon's office in an hour with all of your belongings."

"What?!"


End file.
